Written in a prose of almost biblical simplicity and beauty, Siddhartha is the story of a soul's long quest for the answer to the enigma of man's role on earth. As a youth, the young Indian Siddhartha meets the Buddha but isn't content with the disciple's role. He must work out his own destiny'”a torturous road on which he experiences a love affair with the beautiful courtesan Kamala, the temptation of success and riches, the heartache of struggling with his own son, and finally, renunciation and self-knowledge. The name 'œSiddhartha' is often given to the Buddha himself'”perhaps a clue to Hesse's aims contrasting the traditional legendary figure with his own conception. This new edition of the classic Siddhartha includes The Dhammapada ('œPath of Virtue'), the 423 verses attributed to the Buddha himself, which forms the essence of the ethics of Buddhist philosophy.